FIFA World Cup: Luis Suarez's bite makes Swede gambler a millionaire

London: Luis Suarez's biting offence is so common on the football field that a handful of punters decided to place bets on the controversial Uruguay star, expecting a repeat of the mistake during the World Cup in Brazil.

Illustration: Amit Bandre

The online bookmaker Betsafe were offering odds of 175-1 that the Uruguayan, twice banned for biting, would sink his teeth into an opponent during the World Cup in Brazil. And rightly so, Suarez bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during their crucial tie in Natal on Monday.

One winner, Jonathan Braeck from Stenungssund in Sweden, bet 80 Swedish krona (7 pounds) that Suárez would bite. And the 23-year-old substitute teacher is now set for a payout of 14,000 krona (approximately Rs 12 lakh) for his wager, reported the Guardian website yesterday.

"First I thought I'd bet a little more, but a friend said I was just wasting my money," Braeck was quoted as saying by SportExpressen newspaper. "When Italy took over the game, you knew that he could go a little crazy," he added.